The News section contains topical information regarding environmental management, sustainable development, Corporate Social Responsibility, and many other environment-related facts. You will also get here a current overview of what is happening in these areas generally.
Achieving integrated smart farming - 01 March, 2013
Abrupt seasonal weather changes, including floods, early frosts and winter blizzards, cause problems for farmers, including loss of crops and stock. Many of these problems are natural, and to a certain extent unavoidable. Farming has consistently adapted to better meet such challenges, and the sector is currently poised to undergo another revolution, delivered through one the 20th century's technological breakthroughs: computers.
|| Read more...





.JPG)
Many Europeans still exposed to harmful air pollutants - 26 September, 2012.
Almost a third of Europe's city dwellers are exposed to excessive concentrations of airborne particulate matter (PM), one of the most important pollutants in terms of harm to human health as it penetrates sensitive parts of the respiratory system. The EU has made progress over the past decades to reduce the air pollutants which cause acidification, but a new report published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that many parts of Europe have persistent problems with outdoor concentrations of PM and ground level ozone.
|| Read more...

Managing water and human activities together - 31 August 2012.
River basins, lakes, floodplains and marshes often span political and administrative boundaries. This creates challenges in the management of Europe's water resources, according to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), which recommends better integration of coordinated spatial planning and water management.
|| Read more...
Ihobe publishes the 2011 Industrial Ecobarometer report in full - 13 August, 2012.
Ihobe, the Environmental Management Corporation of the Basque Government, has published the full survey of the 2011 Industrial Ecobarometer, where the perceptions of the companies of the Basque Country regarding the environment are analysed. The results of this report, conducted as part of the Ecoefficiency Programme, seek to foster strategic decision-taking in consultancy and engineering firms and public administrations.
|| Read more...
Avoiding harmful ozone pollution this summer - 13 August, 2012.
High summer temperatures combined with air pollution can cause ground-level ozone to form, which has serious effects on health, especially for older people or children, or those with asthma and other breathing problems. The European Environment Agency (EEA) presents some useful information on protecting your health from ground-level ozone this summer.
|| Read more...


Clean water at majority of EU holiday destinations - 29 May 2012.
Good news if you're planning a beach holiday in Europe this summer: 92.1 % of bathing waters in the European Union now meet the minimum water quality standards set by the Bathing Water Directive. This includes the Serpentine Lake in London, which will host several Olympics events, including the Open Water Marathon Swim and the swimming section of the triathlon.
|| Read more...


Ihobe has included its most relevant achievements in the management report for the first quarter of 2012 - 10 May, 2012.
The increase in companies adhered to the Eco-efficiency Programme, the presence of Udalsarea 21 at the ICLEI World Congress 2012, the presentation of the Green Public Procurement and Contracting Programme of the Basque Government, the contribution of Ecoeuskadi 2020 at Río+20 or the incorporation of Euskaltel as a member of the Basque Ecodesign Center are some of the key developments included in the Ihobe Management Report. This report is an informational document on the activity carried out by this public agency during the first quarter of 2012.
|| Read more...


EcoEuskadi 2020 at the European Summit of Regions and Cities in Copenhaguen - 9 March 2012
Ihobe, as the technical secretary, will present the Basque Sustainable Development Strategy, EcoEuskadi 2020 at the European Summit of Regions and Cities to be held in Copenhagen on 22 and 23 March 2012. The project has been selected to be showcased as an example of good practices in sustainable development and its participation at the summit will position the Basque Country as one of the most advanced regions in this area.
|| Read more...


Over 150 Spanish companies with eco-design certification - 14 January, 2012.
Since it was approved back in 2003, the application of the Eco-design Standard UNE 150301 has now been transformed into an internationally applied standard: the UNE-EN ISO 14006 has been the road to take in order to develop more sustainable products and services and to improve the efficiency of industrial processes in over 150 Spanish companies and organisations.
|| Read more...



Iberdrola, Osakidetza Comarca Bilbao, Udapa, Yor, Sener and Colegio Calasancio, winners of the "European Business Awards for the Environment" in the Basque Country - 30 December, 2011.
Iberdrola, Osakidetza Comarca Bilbao, Udapa, Yor, Sener and Colegio Calasancio are the winners of the 2011-2012 "European Business Awards for the Environment" in the Basque Country. The awards were announced by Pilar Unzalu, the Basque Government's Minister for the Environment, during a ceremony held at Bilbao's Campos Elíseos Theatre that was attended by over one hundred companies.
|| Read more...

Recycling industry can boost the European economy - Dec 12, 2011.
Recycling has multiple benefits for many areas of the economy – providing raw materials, creating jobs and encouraging business opportunities and innovation. These economic benefits of recycling are examined in a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report considers the recycling industry in the context of building a 'green economy', a major European policy objective.
|| Read more...
Ihobe moves towards responsible governance - Dec 12, 2011.
Ihobe has created a new public section on its webpage, which, under the title of Responsible Governance, makes various documents available to users which detail, among other information, the management and corporate activities of the organisation, the ethics and code of conduct to which its staff adhere, and the organisation's Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy.
|| Read more...




Over a hundred experts seek alternatives to remediate contaminated land - Dec 01, 2011.
Knowledge generation to develop new more sustainable alternatives and using new technologies to treat and clean-up contaminated soil was the main objective of the "New Technologies for the Remediation of Contaminated Land: Nanotechnology in Contaminated Land" seminar, which was held at the Tecnalia headquarters in Zamudio on 23 November. Over a hundred specialists from Spain, the Netherlands, Austria and the Czech Republic shared know-how in this area for the remediation of potentially contaminated sites. The seminar was organised by Ihobe, Environmental Management Company of the Basque Government's Ministry for the Environment, Land Planning, Agriculture and Fisheries, Tecnalia and the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU).
|| Read more...


Carbon capture and storage could also impact air pollution - Nov 20, 2011.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) involves capturing carbon dioxide released by power stations and other industrial sources, and burying it deep underground. But in addition to keeping an important greenhouse gas (GHG) out of the atmosphere, this technology will lead to benefits and trade-offs for air pollution. A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) describes the effects that CCS may have on emissions of some key air pollutants.
|| Read more...